Shawn Marshall Owens, 44, from the District of Columbia, has been handed a 67-month sentence for a series of armed robberies at Metro by T-Mobile stores across 2023. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced the sentencing, following Owens' guilty plea on July 1, 2024, to six counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery). U.S. District Court Timothy J. Kelly also imposed three years of supervised release once Owens completes his prison term.
Owens' robbery spree included two hits on the same store located on the 4500 block of East Capitol Street, NE, where, in the first incident, he fled with approximately $500 and three phones, and in the second, with a handful of mobile devices after threatening the same employee he had previously robbed. Each of the six robberies Owens committed involved a replica "Airsoft" handgun, which was presented as a real weapon. This significantly amplified the threat to employees and patrons during the heists.
According to court documents, Owens' string of robberies affected multiple stores across the district, with similar patterns of brandishing a handgun and demanding cash and high-end cell phones. On one occasion, Owens directed an employee to empty the cash register and took several phones, while on another, a plea for Apple iPhones ended in his snatching less cash when he was informed of their absence. Throughout this crime series, Owens compromised the safety and security of store employees –some of whom were subjected to his criminal tactics more than once.
Owens' final act of thievery, before law enforcement caught up with him, saw him coercing store employees at gunpoint to part with a box of phones valued at $3,169 along with cash. When police arrested Owens, he was found with these stolen items on his person. Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined in the sentencing announcement. The case was brought to prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English, with the support of former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Haley M. Pennington and Alexander Schneider.
Each of the targeted Metro by T-Mobile stores participates in interstate commerce, which was disrupted or impeded by Owens’ criminal actions. The impact of his robberies stretched beyond immediate losses, as these incidents potentially delayed or obstructed commerce on an interstate scale. The cooperative investigation between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the FBI Washington Field Office concluded with Owens’ conviction, demonstrating the efficacy of joint efforts to tackle such disruption to local businesses and the broader economic framework.
